Horse owners, trainers, and equine healthcare professionals know the challenges that go along with the proper care and maintenance of these powerful, yet sensitive animals. Helping a horse recover their balance and confidence after injury or stress is a tedious, ongoing process that doesn’t always yield successful results. The horses’ feeling of safety depends on body awareness and postural stability. Poor movement patterns and inefficient use of the body contribute to internal stress. For years, the equine industry has offered tools that address isolated muscles or specific training goals, but no solution existed that focused on the horse as a complete, fully connected, neurological system.
That is where Jill McDermott and Lynda Reese come in. Back in 2012, the friends were not looking to launch a product; they were creating a better way to solve the issues found in their own horses.
Jill McDermott is a highly experienced horsewoman, trainer, competitor, and certified massage therapist. She has been involved in rescue and rehabilitation work for the past 27 years. Her farm was home to horses of every age, background, and condition- including more than 30 rescue horses! Lynda Reese is a registered nurse with decades of experience in cardiac, orthopedic, rehabilitation, and geriatric care. She is a certified dog trainer, with 10 years experience as a veterinary assistance prior to becoming a nurse.
Together, they witnessed the same pattern, horses struggling not just with isolated injuries, but with whole-body imbalance. The traditional tools and techniques they had experience with didn’t adequately address these problems. Existing products often restricted movement, focused only on muscle groups, or failed to support the nervous system’s role in healing. What began as a homemade solution became the Eagle ProSix, named for their company Eagle Link and proprioception, sometimes referred to as the body’s sixth sense. McDermott and Reese designed a full-body wrap that connects the horse front-to-back and side-to-side. The results were immediate. McDermott and Reese observed that the horses wearing ProSix often demonstrated improved posture, core strength, balance, and weight distribution. These horses also displayed signs of reduced anxiety and stress. Because ProSix supports movement rather than forcing it, the horses were able to build strength and neurological awareness. Those results were lasted, even when the ProSix wasn’t being worn.
Reese comments on the commonly observed first reactions to the ProSix:
“The horses’ responses to wearing ProSix resulted in many surprising discoveries! They widened their stance for improved stability and balance. They shifted their weight between legs, and stretched. They processed the support and stimuli provided by the wide elastic bands surrounding their body with lowered heads, half-closed eyes, deep sighs and yawns.”
As the horse moves, the elastic bands provide body awareness, (proprioception), and the gentle resistance of the elastic promotes muscle activation. This build strength, improves flexibility, and enhances range of motion, without adding joint stress or restricting movement. At the same time, the ProSix stimulates the nervous system, aiding the whole-body connection. The increased body awareness is responsible for improved balance, rhythm, and posture. Postural stability is calming, as the nervous system equates this with safety. After years of observation, various iterations and refinements, McDermott and Reese said…
“We felt a deep responsibility to produce and promote ProSix for the benefit of all horses. This is why we started our business in 2014. ” The critical hurdle facing any new product, however, is the validation of observations and claims supported by scientific research.”
With support from MTEC SmartZone through the Business Accelerator Fund (BAF), McDermott and Reese were able to pursue third-party research that otherwise would have been out of reach. MTEC helped identify and connect the company with an equine researcher at Michigan State University, who conducted a formal investigation of the ProSix system. The study spanned nearly two years.
The results confirmed what McDermott, Reese, and others, had observed all along: the ProSix produced measurable, positive effects in horses. They can claim that the Eagle ProSix is scientifically proven to produce positive results. “The results of this study change the perception of the ProSix where it matters most. Veterinarians, and all healthcare professionals can confidently recommend ProSix to their clients knowing that results have been validated by scientific research in a peer-reviewed study. This changes everything!”
A Partnership That Makes Innovation Possible
MTEC’s support reflects its broader mission; helping innovative companies in Michigan access resources, expertise, and opportunities that move them forward. “MTEC is responsible for taking our mission from observations and education, to a solid foundation built on scientific evidence validated by a respected university. Finding funding and coordinating the process was overwhelming. MTEC provided the means and the way, and we are grateful for the guidance and support their team provided.”
Today, ProSix is the only rehabilitation and training system designed to specifically support the whole horse-body connection. The research provided the validation needed to move the Eagle ProSix forward with confidence.
Congratulations to Jill McDermott, Lynda Reese, and the entire Eagle ProSix team on this exciting achievement. Their work continues to offer hope to horses in recovery and owners searching for the most effective solution. ProSix stands as a testament to what’s possible when compassion for animals meets thoughtful innovation.
To learn more about Eagle ProSix, visit https://www.eagleprosix.com.
